The Effectiveness of Nucleoside Analogues in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients Unresponsive to Interferon Therapy: Our Clinical Trials for One Year

Background and Aims: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of nucleoside analogues such as Lamivudine, Adefovir, Entacavir, and Tenofovir in patients with chronic hepatitis B who failed to respond to interferon therapy and relapsed

Entecavir Therapy in Turkish Adult Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B: One-Year Results from Izmir Province, Turkey

Background and Aims: In the present study, we aimed to present the initial results of chronic hepatitis B patients who received entecavir (ETV) therapy in our hospital in Izmir, Turkey

Usefulness of laboratory parameters and chest CT in the early diagnosis of COVID-19

In the present study, the importance of laboratory parameters and CT findings in the early diagnosis of COVID-19 was investigated. To this end, 245 patients admitted between April 1st, and May 30th, 2020 with suspected COVID-19 were enrolled. The patients were divided into three groups according to chest CT findings and RT-PCR results. The non-COVID-19 group consisted of 71 patients with negative RT-PCR results and no chest CT findings. Ninety-five patients with positive RT-PCR results and negativechest CT findings were included in the COVID-19 group; 79 patients with positive RT-PCR results and chest CT findings consistent with COVID-19 manifestations were included in COVID-19 pneumonia group. Chest CT findings were positive in 45% of all COVID-19 patients. Patients with positive chest CT findings had mild (n=30), moderate (n=21) andor severe (n=28) lung involvement. In the COVID-19 group, CRP levels and the percentage of monocytes increased significantly. As disease progressed from mild to severe, CRP, LDH and ferritin levels gradually increased. In the ROC analysis, the area under the curve corresponding to the percentage value of monocytes (AUC=0.887) had a very good accuracy in predicting COVID-19 cases. The multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that CRP, LYM and % MONO were independent factors for COVID-19. Furthermore, the chest CT evaluation is a relevant tool in patients with clinical suspicion of COVID-19 pneumonia and negative RT-PCR results. In addition to decreased lymphocyte count, the increased percentage of monocytes may also guide the diagnosis

Evaluation of Lamivudine Resistance Assay Using a Molecular Method in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

Objective: Lamivudine is a nucleoside analogue approved by the FDA in 1998 for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B. Its unique disadvantage compared to other antiviral agents used in hepatitis B treatment is the emergence of drug resistance during treatment. In this study, we aimed to determine lamivudine resistant mutations

Comparison of SOFA Score, SIRS, qSOFA, and qSOFA

Objective: Sepsis has been defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction that develops as a result of impaired host response to infection. This study aimed to investigate sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), quick SOFA (qSOFA), and qSOFA + lactate criteria (qSOFA+L) in the diagnosis and prognosis of sepsis

Efficacy and safety of lamivudine treatment in late pregnancy with high HBV DNA: a perspective for mother and infants

Introduction: Perinatal transmission - from mother to fetus - is one of the main transmission routes of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection. Lamivudine therapy has been reported to prevent the replication of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in pregnant women with a high viral load that can lead to perinatal transmission

Study on seroprevalence of hepatitis delta in a regional hospital in western Turkey

Introduction: Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is an incomplete virus dependent on hepatitis B virus (HBV) for its multiplication. It can infect individuals with active HBV infection and cause severe liver disease. It is less prevalent than hepatitis B virus, but it causes more serious clinical pictures. In this study we investigated anti-HDV seroprevalance and epidemiological features among HBsAg seropositive outclinic patients at Izmir Tepecik Educational and Research Hospital

Study on seroprevalence of hepatitis delta in a regional hospital in western Turkey

Introduction: Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is an incomplete virus dependent on hepatitis B virus (HBV) for its multiplication. It can infect individuals with active HBV infection and cause severe liver disease. It is less prevalent than hepatitis B virus, but it causes more serious clinical pictures. In this study we investigated anti-HDV seroprevalance and epidemiological features among HBsAg seropositive outclinic patients at Izmir Tepecik Educational and Research Hospital

Development of Acute Pancreatitis Due to Pegylated Interferon Alpha 2a in a Patient with Chronic Hepatitis B: A Case Report

Interferons (IFNs) are immunomodulatory and antiviral agents used in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and C. Development of acute pancreatitis is a very rare complication seen during IFN (pegylated or standard) treatment in chronic viral hepatitis. In this report, we present a 50-year-old patient with chronic renal insufficiency and chronic hepatitis B who developed acute pancreatitis during treatment with peg-IFN alpha-2a

Susceptibility of Gram Positive Cocci Isolated from Clinical Samples to Quinupristin/Dalfopristin and Comparison with Other Antibiotics at Tepecik Training and Research Hospital

Objective: Recently, the prevalence of infections by multi-drug resistant Gram-positive cocci has increased. This leads to therapeutic problems in conditions caused by these organisms. Quinupristin/dalfopristin, which is not in clinical use in Turkey, is the first parenteral streptogramin antibiotic. We aimed to investigate the susceptibility of quinopristin/dalfopristin to Gram-positive cocci isolated from clinical samples and compare it with susceptibility to other antibiotics that are used to treat Gram-positives cocci, aiming to determine the efficacy of this antibiotic. Materials and Methods: Between June 2008 and June 2009, 279 Gram-positive cocci isolated from clinical samples were included in the study. Bacteria were identified by conventional methods and automatized Vitek 2 (Biomerieux, France) system. Antimicrobial susceptibility was measured by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test. Methicillin resistance was detected by measuring sefoxitin susceptibility according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) criteriae. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of penicillin, vancomycin, teikoplanin, linezolide and quinupristin-dalfopristin was detected by the E-test (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden). Results: Coagulase negative staphylococcus (CoNS) (103), Staphylococcus aureus (94), enterococci (50), Streptococcus pneumoniae (21) and other streptococcal strains (11) were included in the study. The susceptibility rates were 100% for methicillin sensitive staphylococci, 93% for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), 98.1% for methycilline resistant coagulase negative staphylocci (MRCoNS), 17.1% for Enterococus faecalis, 80% for Enterococcus faecium, 85.7% for Streptococcus pneumoniae and 100% for other streptococci. All Gram-positive cocci were susceptible to glycopeptides except the two vancomycin resistant E. faecieum isolates. Conclusion: We investigated the susceptibility of Gram-positive cocci to quinupristin/dalfopristin and other antibiotics. High susceptibility of Gram-positive cocci to quinupristin/dalfopristin may allow the use of this drug as an alternative in infections due to multidrug resistant pathogens. However, further studies are required to evaluate the clinical use